Solace's Fury
by BecomingFearless1F
Summary: (SEQUEL TO SOLACE'S WINGS) The X-Avengers have successfully recovered Emily Salgado and have defeated Ultron. But when Emily wakes up in a time period not her own, filled with friends who have no memories of her yet, and with no access to any of her powers, wings and the Titan included, will Emily be able to keep her solace, or will she finally crack under the pressure?
1. Chapter 1

_**Prologue**_

Ok, so you've read the first part of my tale; where exactly did I end off? Oh yeah, Bucky and I had successfully melted Ultron down into a pool of metal, he [Bucky] had brought my family, the X-Men, from England over to America to help try and find me, and we were finally about to kiss when (_uggggh_) we got interrupted. Again. Totally not my fault. I blame Ultron.

Now, due to these unfortunate events, the world that I have come to know is a little...wonky, you could say.

Now, one of my favorite men growing up as a kid, Willy Wonka, used to say, "A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest of men."

Hey Wonka, I betcha never seen a life with as much nonsense as mine. If his statement were true, I should have been as wise as Albert Einstein. But no, I'm still your average 18-year old mutant who never finished high school, was abused by their mother, has a God for a father who disappeared and then magically reappeared later, and has the most volatile powers on the planet!

But I'm getting sidetracked. Back to the main focus.

This next part of my story has a lot more nonsense then the first part of my story did. Don't believe me? Just keep reading. This is the story of how I met my future boyfriend's parents.

I can hear you all shouting, "But Emily Salgado! Those two are dead in the 21st century!"

Yeah, they are. But who said anything about me being in the 21st century?

_**Chapter 1**_

[Emily's POV]

The light was bright against my eyes. For some reason, that was the first thing I could notice; I noticed that before I even realized I was waking back up. The second thing that I noticed was everything in me hurt, and it hurt bad. I let out a whimper before I could help myself, and I was immediately rewarded with a cool towel pressed to my forehead.

A soft, warm voice that sounded like honey talked first, whispering softly, "Hush, honey. I know, it hurts. Just go back to sleep and I promise you'll feel better when you wake back up. Ok?" It reminded me of Laura, Clint's wife.

"I-I need to f-find him," I murmured, unable to help myself. I tossed and turned, crying out when the moves jostled my weakened body. Soft, but sturdy hands grabbed my shoulders, halting any further movement that I wanted to do. All I could think about was the chains that Ultron had kept me with. How they had held me back just like that.

W-Was I even f-free? Was that all a dream? Defeating Ultron, using the Titan, seeing Bucky again...was it all a dream?

"N-No!" I shouted, shoving harder despite the pain. I couldn't open my eyes. For one they were too heavy. For another thing, I didn't want all that I had just experienced to be a dream. It couldn't be a dream. I wouldn't let it be a dream. "I need to see him again! Please, let me see him."

"Let you see who, sweetheart?" the woman asked again softly. For some reason, that stilled my body and all I could do as I slipped back into the night was cry and sob out his name.

"Bucky."

**:/:\:**

[Bucky's POV]

I will never forget the look on everyone's faces when I got to the roof of the Tower. Each one looked relieved, happy, excited, and panicked all at the same time. But it didn't matter. Because we had finally gotten Emily back safely.

I hoped.

As soon as Emily was on board the QuinJet my group was responsible for and strapped onto a portable gurney, we strapped in and took off. We alerted the rest of the groups who had not been on the rooftop of our plans; they had more than enough room for the extra members who weren't in our jet. I was given the job of pilot, since no one else in my group knew how to work the QuinJet. Loki had taken an immediate residence next to Emily, sitting near her head and gazing longingly down at her. She still didn't know that he was her father. By now, the rest of the Avengers had been clued in. Loki didn't feel that the time was right to tell Emily just yet.

Wanda was passed out on the other side of the QuinJet on a gurney similar to Emily's. Her body was wrapped in a pinkish aura, much like her manipulation powers. Surprisingly, Logan was sitting at her feet, sharpening his claws on each other. He tried to be discreet about it, but every once and a while I caught him sneaking concerned glances at both Emily and Wanda. The big, bad, and scary Wolverine actually was a big softie. Who knew?

The flight back to the compound was a short one, only an hour, but nobody talked and nobody dared to move. We three who were still awake didn't say it out loud, but we were very scared at the recent event. For myself personally, I could feel my adrenaline crashing, and my stomach was clenching up from hunger. All of the calories I burned off during the fight against Ultron with Emily were definitely coming after me.

We made it back to the compound in record time, with no resistance thankfully. As soon as we landed and I had gotten the ramp to drop open, I contacted Steve through Logan's radio. "Steve, this is Bucky. We have successfully made it back to the compound. Logan, Loki, and I are bringing Wanda and Emily inside now."

"_Got it, Buck. Thanks. We're mostly on cleanup patrol right now. Tony is a bit...upset you found out about the airport underneath the Tower. He said something about a surprise_?" Steve mumbled back. I chuckled and hoisted myself out of the chair, jogging my way down the ramp and towards the place I was beginning to call home. We slipped inside and was immediately met by Doctor Cho and Clara, the nurse who had helped Emily during the paintball fiasco way back when. Clara took hold of Wanda's gurney while Doctor Cho, despite greatly not enjoying Emily's company, took hold of Emily's gurney.

Cho held up a hand as all three of us men moved to follow. "No. I need you all to stay here."

As soon as those words left her mouth, we all protested, trying to argue our way in. "But I'm her father", "But I'm her mentor", "But I'm her best friend"...none of them worked on Cho. She just shook her head and responded, "I need to make sure all of her vitals are secure, and I can't do that with you three staring at the back of my head, constantly worrying about whether or not she's ok. Clara will help me with her."

"And what about Wanda?" I asked, glancing over at the girl who was still fast asleep with the aura glowing softly. "What about her?" I had grown close to Wanda through our shared connection of Emily. She reminded me a lot of Rebecca, my sister, back when she had been a younger woman. While I was majorly concerned about Emily and why she had passed out, seeing Wanda in that state made me scared. And I didn't like to be scared.

"Again, I will need to make sure all of her vitals are secure," Cho repeated, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Loki clenching his fists and Logan gritting his teeth. "But if I need assistance, I will be sure to come ask one of you three."

With that, she and Clara pushed the gurneys away from the three of us as we watched helplessly. There was a loud crash beside me and I instinctively jumped away, whipping myself around to face the noise. Apparently, Loki had had the same reaction, because he had jumped away from his spot too. Meanwhile, where the noise had originated from, Logan was standing next to a destroyed vase; it had been one of Tony's favorites if I remembered correctly.

I held my hands up warily, glancing worriedly at Loki before turning my attention back to Logan. "You ok there, Buddy?"

"Don't call me Buddy," rumbled Logan, his eyes flashing angrily towards me. I tensed my muscles and slid my feet into a fighting position. I really didn't want to have to duke it out with Emily's mentor from the X-Men, but if that was needed, I would do it. He gestured angrily down where Emily and Wanda had gone. "They are injured and hurt and there is absolutely nothing that we can do about it and…" He trailed off with a loud, upset growl, slamming his fist into the floor. Which of course shattered. I winced as I thought of how I was supposed to explain that to Steve and Tony. "I hate feeling useless."

"You aren't useless," Loki began in a quiet voice, and Logan leapt to his feet, swinging his gaze around to stare at him. His claws slowly slid out of his knuckles and I gestured towards them, trying to warn Loki. He refused to look at me and instead met Logan's gaze head on.

"Wanna repeat that, Bub?" Logan snapped. Without looking away from Loki, he pointed back towards the hallway. "Emily and that Maximoff girl…"

"Are alive thanks to you," finished Loki, making his voice louder. "You know about her relation to me, right?" Logan nodded and his nostrils flared. I narrowed my eyes. That was not the right thing for Loki to say. If he wanted to keep his face, Loki needed to find a way out of his situation, and soon. "You substituted for me when I couldn't father her. You and Clint have acted like fathers to her while I was paying for my actions. You have helped to raise my daughter when I was gone and my wife didn't even care about the poor child. For that, no matter what the circumstances may be, you will never be useless. Not to her and definitely not to me."

I suddenly felt like I was interrupting an important 'father-to-father' bonding moment, so I coughed awkwardly and gestured that I would be waiting up in my room. As I walked away, I shook my head, laughing under my breath. Emily now had three fathers, all of which hated each other but tolerated each other for her sake. _Get better soon, Em. We're gonna need you to sort out this mess._

**:/:\:**

[Emily's POV]

I don't know how many times I flickered between the realms of the awake and the sleeping. What I did know was that every time I came to the land of the awake, the woman with the voice of honey that reminded me of Laura was waiting there. She took care of me all the time, and would comfort me if I was racked with doubts and worries.

Finally, there was a time when I woke up and I knew that I could stay awake this time. I needed to stay awake and get some answers; like where I was, because no one I knew had the voice of that woman. So, when I could feel all of my limbs and I was conscious of my being awake, I forced myself to open my eyes. Again, I was immediately blinded by the bright and terrible light that was shining right in my eyes.

I hissed and covered my eyes with my hand, glad that my limbs didn't feel like limb. I heard a startled, "Oh", and then there was a rustling of curtains. I hesitantly peeked open my eyes again. The curtains had been closed, so I could see around the room without worrying about burning my eyeballs. I huffed and glanced around. I was on a rather comfortable bed with only a few springs bent out of shape. It was a small, box-shaped room and besides the bed, the little desk beside me and the little lamp, it was barren.

My eyes were finally drawn to the door, where a tall, lithe girl was standing in the doorway. She had an adorable spotted dress on, one that was tucked in at the waist to accent all her curves. She had a beautiful smile, and the prettiest brown eyes I had seen (and I had seen Bucky's).

"You're awake," she said cheerily, and I was hit by the Brooklyn accent. It reminded me so much of when I first met Bucky. "Ma was worried that you weren't ever going to break the fever."

"To be honest, I didn't know if I was going to get better," I responded, nodding. I pushed the covers off my legs and was suddenly aware that I was dressed in a thin cotton nightdress. It reminded me of something I had seen my mom wear once. "Oh, there was no need to change me. I would have been fine in my other clothes."

"Are you kidding?" the girl asked, her eyes wide in disbelief. "You're lucky that my brother and mother found you first. I don't think I've ever seen a woman dress as scandalously as you were dressed."

I raised my eyebrow incredulously, opening my mouth to rebuke her comment when I heard the honey voice call from downstairs, "Rebecca Barnes, I sure hope you aren't bothering our guest like I specifically told you and your siblings to do."

I stiffened slightly. Rebecca Barnes. What would have been the odds that I got rescued by a family who had the same last name as Bucky and his sister? The girl, Rebecca, blushed an adorable crimson as she stuttered back, "B-But Ma...I was just trying to help…!"

"No shouting in the house, Becca," another voice mused, one that was higher and younger. I peered around Rebecca's legs and saw another girl who looked similar to Rebecca. She had a calf-length dark blue skirt with a white blouse that was tucked in. Her dark brown was curled and pinned away from her face. All-in-all, it looked like a school uniform from the fifties. She can really pull it off though, I thought quietly to myself. "Don't let Big Brother catch you, or else."

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "He can try all he likes, Barbara; he knows I'm getting faster than him now." She flinched, as if she suddenly remembered that I was sitting there the whole time. "Sorry about that, Miss…"

"Emily Salgado," I supplied kindly.

"Sorry about that, Miss Salgado," Rebecca said, nodding her head in apology. "I forgot that you were here. Would you like to come downstairs?"

"Do I need to get dressed or am I dressed to scandalously?" I teased kindly, smiling to show Rebecca I was just teasing her. Rebecca smirked and rolled her eyes at me and I giggled under my breath as she walked over to the closet.

"You look to be around Ma's size, so you can borrow one of her dresses for now," Rebecca informed me, swiping through a couple of hangers before choosing one. "You look like a girl who looks good in red."

I smirked as I remembered the date with Bucky that Wanda and Steve had set us up on. "I've been told that same thing." I got up, proud that my shaky limbs could still hold my weight. Rebecca left the room to give me some privacy and I quickly changed. It was a red v-neck dress that ended just below my knees. It was tapered, much like Rebecca's dress, and it fit me pretty well. I zipped up the dress and, since I was alone in the room, allowed my wings to come out. Except...they never appeared.

I glanced frantically behind my back, patting my shoulder blades. I could still feel the lumps that connected my wing shoulder bones to my normal shoulder bones, but no wings. I glanced around, and was pleased to see a floor-length mirror in the corner of the room that I had missed in my initial check. I rushed over there and looked into it.

I still couldn't see my wings. I tried to calm my breathing, because I could already tell that I was panicking. The Titan had never taken my wings before; it was impossible. Wasn't it?

_Titan, what the heck? Where are my wings?_ I demanded, sending the message straight to where I knew he would be residing. But for some reason, he didn't respond. In fact, I couldn't even sense his presence within. I hadn't felt that bland and empty since before I had seen Warren and his Archangel.

I backed up and landed heavily on the bed. My hands came up to my chest and I could feel the hammering of my heart through the many layers of clothes. _It's ok...it's ok...you just need to find Steve and Bucky and Tony and Logan and Loki and everyone else and they can help you. Everything will be fine._

I took a shaky breath and moved to my feet. My legs shook violently and I moved to the wall, using it as a support as I moved to the door. I turned the knob and slid it open, revealing Rebecca and the girl from before. The smaller girl, Barbara, gaped at my appearance and smiled widely. "Wow! You look so pretty!"

I smiled weakly and tried to put on an air of calm. "I did tell Rebecca that I looked good in red."

Rebecca laughed and offered me her arm to use as support. So she could tell that I was trying to hide my shaky legs. I took it and gave her a grateful smile. We moved through the narrow hallway and I half-listened to Rebecca as she prattled on about this and that. The stairs were steep and narrow, and Rebecca took it slow so that I wouldn't collapse down the stairs. We made it down to the bottom when I was greeted by the warm smell of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies.

I moaned with delight before I could help myself and moved away from Rebecca, ignoring the living room to move to the small kitchen off to the side. A short, brunette woman was humming to herself under her breath as she pulled out a large batch of cookies. She glanced behind her and I was caught by the golden-brown eyes again. _Geez, all of these people have eyes like Bucky. He won't believe me when I tell him later._ She smiled widely.

"Oh good, you're awake," she cheered, and I knew then that she was the owner of the honey voice. She grinned and nodded her head. "I'm glad that dress at least looks good on one of us."

I heard a scoff come from the other room and I looked over. There was a small dining room table that was meant to fit six. A man was sitting at one of the chairs, but he was hidden from view by a large newspaper. "Ma, you look good in everything you wear."

I had an overwhelming sense of deja vu again, and I shook my head. The honey-voiced woman looked back to me and moved away from the counter. She wore a dark green skirt and matching blouse with a flour-stained white apron around her waist. "Dearie, are you alright?"

"Emily Salgado," I supplied, nodding my head to her. "And you're Mrs. Barnes, I presume?" The woman smiled and nodded. "I'm fine. Just had some deja vu. He," I gestured to the man behind the paper, "reminded me of someone. Well, his voice did."

"He gets that a lot," huffed Rebecca from beside me. She gave a pointed look towards the newspaper. "You can at least greet a guest like a normal older brother would."

"I want to finish this paragraph about the new shoe-rationing rules," the man snarked back, and I scrunched my face in confusion. Shoe-rationing? Why on Earth would New York start a shoe-rationing rule? We weren't at war. That sounded like something from the forties…

Wait...forties outfits, my 'scandalous' dressing, shoe-rationing…

I looked at Mrs. Barnes, turning sharply and violently as I rushed out, "What day is it?"

Mrs. Barnes looked baffled at my request, but she answered slowly, "February 7th, 1943."

I felt the wind rush out of my lungs and I stumbled backwards, reaching out for Rebecca. She grabbed my arm and seemed to be the only thing keeping me up. My other hand flashed to my stomach as I tried to quench down the large amounts of nausea I was feeling.

The man at the table heard the tumble and stood up, folding the paper neatly and resting it down. He looked up at me and I felt any remaining air leave my lungs. He...it was him. He was here. He was wearing dark khakis and a buttoned down shirt with the top button undone. His hair was the same, the scruff was gone, but it was his eyes.

The warm, deep brown eyes that a girl could lose themselves in.

"B-Bucky…?" I asked weakly, and he seemed startled at the recognition. That was enough for me. My legs collapsed underneath me. As I slipped back into unconsciousness, I could see Bucky rushing towards me.

* * *

**A/N: Hey y'all! I'm BAAAAAACK! Here is the first chapter of Solace's Fury! I busted it out this afternoon and last night. Now, again, no promises for when I can update again. I'm gonna be starting back up in my school year and I get really, _really _busy. But, I just thought y'all should get a Saturday surprise (or whatever day surprise depending on where y'all live). **

**If you've read Solace's Wings, then this should make sense. If you haven't read Solace's Wings, I suggest reading it if you want to understand anything that's happening. Now, even if you read Solace's Wings, you might not understand anything, but that's ok, neither do I XD.**

**Oh yeah! I think someone on Solace's Wings asked how I plan this all out. Here's the answer: I don't. I honestly don't. I tried once, and it all went a completely different direction. I have an end goal, I just don't know what the path there will look like. So yeah, we'll all be surprised.**

**Remember to read, favorite, follow, and review! I love hearing back from you all on your opinions of these stories. They are really helpful. Have a great Saturday (or whatever day depending on where y'all live XD).**

**BecomingFearless1F**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

[Bucky's POV]

I woke up the next morning with a spring in my step. Though Doctor Cho and Nurse Clara hadn't confirmed it, I had a gut feeling that Wanda and Emily were going to be ok. And that they were going to wake up today. As I walked down the hallway, I paused at Wanda's and Emily's doors. After the initial examination, Cho relented and said that the girls would be ok, and they could be moved back to their rooms. Loki had taken Emily and Logan had taken Wanda to their rooms last night.

I entered into the common room a little while later, slightly surprised when I saw some of the X-Men loitering around. Kurt Wagner, the blue guy who could teleport in and out of the 'Negative Zone', was in the kitchen, flashing back and forth as he cooked what looked like omelets and pancakes. The man in the wheelchair, Xavier, was sitting in the living room, reading a large book while Jean Grey was lounging on the couch next to him. The two winged-men, Calvin and Warren, were off to the side by the glass windows, talking quietly with each other. Everyone, bar Kurt, looked up at me as I entered.

"Good morning, James," Xavier welcomed, nodding his head at my arrival. I responded with a polite hello before heading towards the kitchen. Before I could even take a step in, Kurt appeared in front of me holding a mug full of coffee.

"I heard that you like your coffee strong," Kurt told him, in one of the thickest German accents I had ever heard (and I had heard a lot). I still remembered how weirded out I had been when I had first met Kurt. "I found your recipe for coffee in the cupboard. Enjoy!" And with that, he poofed back to the other side of the kitchen, cooking up the omelets.

Slightly dazed, I nodded my thanks and stepped away, heading towards a free armchair. As I sat down, Xavier put a marker in his book and set it off to the side on a small table. He leaned forward in his chair, his bald head reflecting the light from above. "How are Wanda and Emily? We were not told their conditions when we arrived last night."

I licked my lips; I remembered Steve telling me briefly when he got back that they were going to keep it hush-hush from the X-Men for the night. The Avengers, as a gesture of goodwill, offered the X-Men rooms to stay in for however long they felt they needed to stay.

"They're doing well," I answered honestly. If I tried to lie, Xavier would know anyways. Him or the Jean Grey girl. The telepaths. "Our doctor hasn't given specifics, but I have a feeling that they're going to wake up today."

Xavier let out a little sigh of relief and leaned back in his wheelchair. "That is very good to hear."

I fiddled with my mug, sipping at my coffee. I had so many questions I wanted to ask Xavier, most of which were about Emily's time at his school. Xavier smirked and I frowned; I had forgotten about his powers.

"Feel free to ask whatever questions you wish about us," Xavier urged me, looking like he was resisting the urge to smile. "I know you have many...most of which revolve around our shared connection." He didn't have to say her name. We both knew he was talking about Emily.

"Who was her first friend at your school?" I asked softly. Xavier didn't seem surprised by the question, or if he was, he kept it well-hidden. It wasn't the most urgent question I wanted to ask, but it was the first one that came out of my mouth.

"Well, since you have known Emily for a while, you know she doesn't make friends one-by-one, but rather in bunches," chuckled Xavier, shaking his head in slight exasperation. I nodded, letting myself smile at his comment. "The first bunch happened to be Calvin, Douglas, and Kurt. Warren and Logan were in the next bunch." He glanced warily over to his other side, where Jean was now resting on the couch with her eyes shut tight. "There were some that took Emily longer to befriend than others for reasons."

I raised an eyebrow at Jean, but I didn't press the issue. Emily could tell me when she woke up today.

"How did you meet Emily, James?" Kurt suddenly asked from behind me. I glanced backwards to where he had just finished up the pancakes and omelets. He set the large stack of pancakes down on the counter with a plate. On another one was a giant heaping of omelets. Kurt gestured for the whole lot of X-Men to come and eat. He offered me a fork and I nodded, getting up and following the rest to the kitchen counter. "You two seem rather close."

I chuckled under my breath and I said, "It's a long story, so prepare yourselves…" With that I began my story.

**:/:\:**

[Emily's POV]

I barricaded myself in the room I had woken up in the first time. Not only from mortification, but also because I was so terrified and refused to look Bucky in the eyes. I couldn't without feeling sadness and fear rush into my soul.

I was in the 40s with no idea of how I got to this time and how I was supposed to get back. I had no powers, including the magenkinesis and geokinesis powers I had specifically asked the Titan to spare. For some reason I knew that they were going to come in handy. Well, I guess I was wrong now.

On top of that, my wings were essentially non-existent. I couldn't see them, no matter what I did, and I couldn't physically feel them. There was no lift, no sense of lightness whenever I thought of them. They had just...disappeared.

Oh, and the Titan was gone. For once in my life, I actually missed him. With the Titan gone, I was completely and utterly alone. True, I was surrounded by the Barnes family, but they didn't know me like I knew them.

I shook my head, which was now pressed against my legs. My back was against the door and my legs were pulled up close to my chest and I cradled myself with my arms.

There was a soft knock on the door, like the ones that had happened every hour. "Emily, it's Mrs. Barnes. I-I just wanted to know if you're ok. I understand if you need your space after your trying event, but you're starting to scare the younger children."

I cursed softly under my breath, so Mrs. Barnes wouldn't hear me. I hadn't meant to scare any of the Barnes children, which went as such: Bucky, Rebecca, Barbara, Sam, and Charles. Barbara, Sam, and Charles had all had a look of curiosity when I woke up after fainting. I hadn't even considered what I must have looked like when I rushed them all out. I banged my head slightly against the door, trying to convey that I hadn't meant to scare the children without opening my mouth.

Mrs. Barnes' honey voice chuckled from through the thin wood. "I'll tell them that you didn't mean to scare them." That peaked my interest. Could Mrs. Barnes speak head-knocking-wood? If she could, that was a language that I could stand to learn. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"No, thank you," I managed to croak out, and that seemed to appease her. I heard her footsteps as she tip-toed away. The sun had long ago set, and now it was the dusty streetlights below that provided any sort of light. That, along with the fire escape, casted eerie shadows on the wooden floor.

I rested my head on my knees, squeezing my eyes shut tight. A moment later, I flung my head up and looked back towards the window. A fire escape. It must let itself down all the way to the street; if not, most of the way. I could make it out. I could find a way to return back to my time without anymore interaction with the Barnes family.

I grinned widely, my first genuine smile since I had seen past-Bucky earlier that morning. I hated to run from the Barnes, but I needed to see _my_ Bucky. I went to the closet and opened it up, glad to find a carpetbag sitting happily on the floor. I went to reach for it, but faltered. No...Mrs. Barnes had given me this dress to borrow. I couldn't infringe on her own wardrobe. I glanced around the room; Rebecca must have thrown out my old outfit. I frowned slightly. _I really liked those pants._

Shaking my head to bring myself back to reality, I headed towards the fire escape. I slipped the locks open on the window and slid it up, wincing as it made a loud creaking noise. I held still for a few moments, listening to see if anyone had heard me. If they did, they did nothing about it. I put on a determined smile and slipped outside, gently shutting the window shut behind me. The iron fire escape was cold against my toes, especially in this weather. A light snowfall had begun as I began to scurry quietly down the fire escape.

I made it to the bottom, where the tall ladder was located. However, when I tried to release it, it got stuck and refused to come free. I growled angrily and looked at my options. I couldn't jump off. I was still nearly two stories up. Even if I had still had my super-healing from Sabretooth, I would break my leg from that kind of fall, if not my neck. No ladder, because it had decided it didn't like me. I slammed my fist angrily against the railings, and that shook the drainage pipe that was bolted into the bricks nearby. My eyebrows raised slightly. I could work with a drainage pipe.

I threaded my legs around the railings of the fire escape and leaned myself over, reaching out towards the drainage pipe. It wasn't too far away, but just enough to make the transition from the fire escape uncomfortable. I grunted as I clamped my hands tightly on the metal. It was freezing. I could see some icicles beginning to form in the crevices. With a semi-loud yelp, I swung my legs from the fire escape onto the drainage pipe.

In case anyone didn't know, I don't weigh that much. Maybe one hundred ten, one hundred fifteen. Well, now I can tell you from personal experience, drainage pipes weren't meant to hold weight over ninety-five pounds. There was a loud crack from higher up on the pipe. I didn't have to react. I began to scurry down quickly. However, since it was slicked with ice, I ended up sliding more, ripping tears into the pads of my feet and in the palms of my hands. Ten feet off the ground, the pipe disconnected where it had cracked and I was sent tumbling to the ground from the jar it gave out when it disconnected from the rest of the piping.

My shoulder was the first thing to connect to the ground, followed closely by my head, my side, and my knees. I gasped at the sudden pain the raced through me; there hadn't been enough snow on the ground to provide me with a soft landing. I grunted as I rolled onto my back. The snow was turning crimson from where my hands and feet had landed. I dug my hands and feet into the snow, relishing the numbness that the cold brought. Hopefully, if I could keep my adrenaline up, I could prevent myself from feeling most of the pain.

I took a couple of deep breaths before I yanked myself up to my feet. The world tilted dangerously, and I was sent down to my hands and knees again. I whimpered, my hands bleeding more. _Come on, Em. This isn't even close to the worst you've experienced from your mom! Get up and keep walking._ I gritted my teeth. Sometimes I couldn't even stand myself.

I pushed myself onto my feet and took a few cautionary steps forward. The world was still tilting, but I found I could navigate it better if I walked slowly. I licked my lips, which were suddenly dry, and wrapped my arms around my torso as I began my slow journey forward.

"Wouldn't you at least like a coat if you're going to run away?"

I jumped and flipped around, which resulted in me sprawling flat on my butt. The person in question rushed forward, and through the faint streetlight glow, I could make out ruffled brunette hair, a sharp jawline, and those doe brown eyes that were haunting me.

"I'm fine, thank you," I replied tersely, refusing his hand to help me up. I pushed myself up with my hands. When I got to my feet, I tilted again and was surprised when Bucky wrapped his arms around me to support me. I closed my eyes, feeling a surge of nausea rush up. "L-Let go of me."

"What kind of man would I be if I let a hurt girl leave the hospitality of my home?" Bucky asked incredulously. His voice was right next to my ear, and I could feel his breath against my hair. "I'll give you a hint: not a good one."

I refused to laugh or even acknowledge his joke. I refused to let myself get connected to this Bucky. He wasn't the Bucky I knew. The one who had joined the army, who had become the Winter Soldier, who had saved me from Norbert, my mother, and Ultron.

I tried to pull away again, but I was too weak and I had to let myself collapse into Bucky's grip. He supported my weight easily. "Ok, you're not looking too good."

"Not the best phrase to say to the ladies," I managed to spit out, and he chuckled behind me and _goodness_. It sounded just like him: the Bucky from my time. "I-I'm fine. Just a little c-cold."

"Make that really cold," Bucky commented as his face suddenly appeared in front of mine. Really close in front of mine. He was so close that I could feel his breath against my nose. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at my face. "Your lips are turning blue. Here." He moved his face away, and suddenly the ground was pulled away from me.

I yelped and grabbed onto the closest thing near me, which happened to be Bucky. He had swept me up in a bridal-carry and I was holding onto his neck like it was my life support. I gave him as much as a glare as I could and he simply smirked at me. "There, doesn't that feel better?"

"I hope you don't mind bloodstains," I growled under my breath, making sure that some of my bloodied hands would touch his white shirt. It was the same outfit he had worn when I saw him that morning. _That oughta teach him to interrupt my returning to my own timeline._ "Listen, I know you're trying to be nice and help me out and everything, but I need to go."

"So, are you actually willing to tell me who you're running to?" Bucky asked, glancing at me with a raised eyebrow. I looked at him in confusion and he rolled his eyes at me. "You're kidding, right? You faint when you hear the date and see my face; that, plus the fact that you hold yourself up in my ma's bedroom, all lead up to you wanting to leave. I can't figure out the reason for your reaction to the date and my face, but I'm working on it. For the running away, why does any dame run?" He glanced at me and smirked again. "For a fella."

I physically growled and shoved him with my hands, giving him two bloody handprints on the front of his shirt. "Let me go."

"Nope," he said, popping out the 'p'. I began to shake violently and Bucky looked startled as he struggled to keep his grip on me. "Hey, quit it!"

I gave a violent jerk and he was forced to let me go. I leapt away from him, glad that the tilting world had stopped. I glared at him and poked him in the chest, right where I had struck him with my bloody handprint. "First off, I'm not a dame. Call me Emily or don't call me at all. Secondly, _dames_ can run away for any reason. Men are not the only reason why a girl or woman would run away." I stopped and licked my lips, quietly adding, "Trust me on this."

Bucky's eyes flashed, and it seemed that he got the hint to back off. He raised his hands up in apology. "I'm sorry, Emily. I didn't mean anything from it." He paused and placed his hands into his pockets. "But seriously, you're hurt. You need to get inside. If you are going to run away, you might want to think through it better."

I narrowed my eyes at him again, but I knew he was right. I shouldn't have run off. I should've grabbed shoes, socks (did they even have socks in the 40s?), more clothes, _pants_, etc. I gave a little sigh and nodded. When I saw Bucky's relieved face, I quickly added, "But not your house. I just need time to be by myself and think."

Bucky nodded his consent. "I got a pal who lives a couple of streets away. His mother passed a while ago and his dad's been dead for a while. He wouldn't mind some company."

I licked my lips, thinking. I had to check this friend out for myself, but I figured it couldn't hurt. "What's your friend's name?"

"I don't think you would know him," Bucky began, shrugging lightly. "I call him Stevie, but his full name is Steve Rogers."

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**A/N: Hey y'all! Did not expect to bust out a chapter this afternoon. o.O. So go me! Thanks to everyone who's favorited (**Myfiya**, **SawaSama**, ****and **mihel asyki akatsuki schizo**), followed (**Myfiya**, **SawaSama**, **UchihaSophie22**, **mihel asyki akatsuki schizo**, ****and **windwolf1988**), and reviewed (**SawaSama**) already! I don't recognize any of your names. Have any of you guys read Solace's Wings?**

**I don't think there is anything else I wanted to say about this chapter. Soon, y'all will be introduced to pre-serum!Steve, in all his adorable asthmatic self. Wanda and Emily are going to be waking up soon (or will they be?), the amazing Lizzy will make another appearance, and there'll be a cool new character introduction coming in the next chapter, so stay tune!**

**Y'all know the drill, hopefully: please favorite, follow, review! If you don't want to, I won't hold it against you. Have a great Sunday (or whatever day it is for you guys)**

**BecomingFearless1F**


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